What No One Knows
by ForIHaveOvercomeTheWorld
Summary: SG1 is returning home after the mission to Netu and Daniel is hiding something. At first he thinks it's nothing important, but soon he realizes that the aftereffects are far worse than the original torture. Daniel whump, full summary inside. No slash
1. Hidden Hurts

Title: What No One Knows

Summary: SG1 is returning home after the mission to Netu and Daniel is hiding something. At first he thinks it's nothing important, but soon he realizes that the aftereffects are far worse than the original torture. Will his friends figure out what he is hiding from them? Will Daniel discover why his torment hasn't ended? Daniel whump, you shouldn't read this if you haven't see something that comes before this episode, I never know what I might reference. No slash.

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><p>Daniel sighed. It was over. He looked over at Teal'C who was flying the Goa'uld cargo ship and was once again glad that there had been only three escape pods. That had meant that Teal'C had to stay behind, for which he was grateful for several reasons, one of them being that without him they never would've escaped that awful planet. Another being that Apophis would have been all too happy to have Teal'C in his clutches so he could make him suffer.<p>

Daniel had sat down on one of the chests in the ring area next to his friends, but now he was feeling decidedly claustrophobic. He got up and moved away from everyone to sit on the other side of the room. The ground was hard and cold but it only felt good to his over-heated skin. On Netu it had been as hot as any desert but without any wind underground. And the place had smelt of sweat, suffering, and death.

Daniel was used to warm temperatures and usually didn't mind them, but instead of the dry, clean heat of the desert it had been humid and suffocating. He had felt like he was being closed in on every side by some unseen and invisible force. In the desert everything was open.

Of course, at the time he had ignored any and all feelings of discomfort he might've had because they had a job to do. He had long since learned not to voice his pain because it could end up being the death of him. And he wouldn't show it either.

And they had done their job, they'd rescued Jacob from that hellish planet and had even managed to destroy it, though, that had been Teal'c and the other Tokra's handy work. Daniel hoped that this time Apophis was really dead and hadn't somehow escaped the destruction of a planet that was supposed to be impossible to escape.

He put his head in his hands again, it was really pounding. The fact was that his whole body ached profusely, especially his torso. He got up. He knew from experience that focusing on other peoples' pain helped him to ignore his own; besides, he was worried about the state of Jack's leg.

Bringing a medical kit with him, Daniel walked over to where Jack was sitting, his injured leg spread out in front of him, and still faintly mumbling something about iced tea. He sat down next to him and began to inspect more thoroughly the damage the staff weapon blast had done to his knee. The colonel hissed slightly as Daniel began to remove the make-shift bandage they had tied around it.

"Careful there, I'm fragile," he said in his usual sarcastic and childish tone. Like Daniel Jack didn't show pain if he could help it when there were enemies around, but when it was just him and his friends he would behave like a five-year-old.

Daniel smiled slightly at Jack and the sarcasm he knew was just a coping mechanism for pain. "How does it feel?" the archeologist asked, looking up into his friend's face in order to decipher the truth in whatever dismissive comment he would make.

"Actually it's starting to go a bit numb," Jack said.

Daniel didn't really believe it, but nodded his head as if he did anyway. As he looked back down at the injury he concluded that while it would probably hurt like crazy, there would be no permanent damage. Though, he may have to do a little bit a physical therapy.

Daniel was well acquainted with staff blasts of all kinds. He'd been shot fatally by one twice, and had taken one to the shoulder at least once. Those were the ones that stood out the most. He remembered the pain his arm had been in for days and was sure he had a pretty good idea of how Jack was feeling at this point.

"So Doctor Jackson, will I live?" Jack asked.

"As long as you don't piss off anymore Jaffa or Goa'uld in the next few days, yes. Though, why you would need me to tell you that I can't fathom. You're one of the most un-killable people I know, Jack." Daniel smiled with a bit of fondness at his friend. He was glad they had all made it out of there alive and most of them unscathed, physically at least. Emotionally, Daniel knew, was a different story. They'd all seen horrible and painful hallucinations while under the influence of a drug called Sokar's Blood.

"Me? Nah, you're the un-killable one, Daniel. And when you do die you always manage to come back and haunt me. I've got nothing on you." It was obvious that Jack was joking around but his words triggered something in Daniel's mind.

His brain flashed back to when Amaunet was holding that blasted ribbon device on him and he was about to die when Teal'C shot her, killing his wife in the process. And as quick as the memory began it ended. Daniel recognized it as being induced by the drug in his system; it had that same eerie real and unreal feeling to it.

"Daniel?" Jack asked, obviously noting the change in his behavior as the hallucination had overcome him.

Without looking at him he answered in a whisper, "There are different kinds of death, Jack, you should know that." He looked at the golden walls. When Sha're had died a part of him had died with her, a part that no amount of regeneration time in the sarcophagus could revive.

He looked back at Jack and smiled his 'I'm fine' smile. Jack looked as if he understood what he had meant by his previous statement. After all, he had lost his son.

Daniel shifted uncomfortably as his muscles all over his body flared in pain again.

Sam gasped. "Daniel, what happened?" she asked, gently lifting a hand and touching his cheek. Daniel had been so absorbed in his thoughts and Jack's leg that he hadn't noticed that Sam and her dad had stopped talking about their vacation. He looked around the room and saw that not only were Jacob and Sam watching him, but also the Martouf and the other Tok'ra.

He realized that Sam must mean his face. He gingerly brought a hand up to one of his throbbing cheeks and lightly touched it as Sam had. There was no doubt about it, it was bruised and slightly swollen. He guessed that the other side was as well, but not as badly.

"Yeah, Daniel, you look like you got into a bar fight," Jack said. "What happened?"

"What, this?" Daniel said, trying to downplay how much the bruises hurt, both for his sake and theirs, "Just another lovely gift from Apophis."

"And the other one?" Jack asked, sounding as if he was suspicious.

Daniel inwardly cursed, he hated when his friends went into overdrive caring mode about every little bruise and cut. "No, that was from a Jaffa."

"It looks bad, Daniel," Sam said, the concern evident in her tone.

Daniel smiled at Jack and said, "Actually, I think it's going numb." Jack laughed a little bit at that, but the archeologist still saw the worry in his eyes.

And perhaps they were right to worry about him, he mused. After all, he had already died, like, four times, had been made crazy by withdrawal twice, had had his death simulated so that his friends would think that he was dead, and had had the ribbon device used on him more times than he could count. Daniel was also pretty sure that he'd been beaten to a pulp a couple times over as well. And all those were only the highlights.

Sometimes it seemed to him that every time he stepped through the gate something bad happened to him. Maybe they should worry about him, especially when taking into account the injuries he was currently hiding from them. Daniel considered telling them but really didn't want them to worry any more than they already did. Plus, he found that ever since his wife died he just couldn't handle a lot of sympathy. That was something she used to give him every time he so much as sneezed. Whenever he would get hurt on Abydos she'd always be there for him.

But now she was gone. He didn't want pity or sympathy from anyone. In all truth he had never really excepted worry at all. He'd always grown up believing that hiding his pain was for the best. He had liked it where Sha're was concerned, but that had been because it was proof that she loved him, a miracle that he'd always had trouble believing.

He was glad that his friends cared about him, but he just couldn't handle it in the form of pity anymore. It reminded him too much of what he had lost.

So he looked back at his friends and said, "I'm fine." It was a lie he had told often, both to his friends and his enemies.

As if they had heard his lie, his muscles tensed up again and the aching increased. But he hid any traces of it from his face.

He lay back against the chest and sighed. He was exhausted and couldn't wait until he, and his injured and tired friends, could get back home. He was worried for Jack's leg even though he knew it would be fine as long as it didn't get infected, and he was worried about Jacob. Though, he knew that on the way home they would stop off to deliver the injured Tok'ra to his people so that they could take care of him. He hoped that the green liquid Martouf was giving him would help him last that long.

His eyes drifted shut and he almost felt like he could fall asleep, but then another wave of pain swept through his body, leaving him breathless. All thoughts of sleep were banished from his mind despite how tired he was. He was in too much pain for that.

The attacks seemed to be getting worse and coming quicker. Daniel didn't understand, he thought that the device was only supposed to work while being used. They shouldn't be aftereffects this bad nearly an hour later. And instead of getting better they were only getting worse.

He opened his eyes and saw Martouf looking down at him with a strange expression on his face. There was concern, fear, curiosity, and what looked like awe. "Are you alright, Doctor Jackson?" he asked.

Slightly annoyed, though, that was mostly due to the pain, Daniel replied, "I'm fine."

But Martouf pushed again. "Are you sure you did not sustain any injuries other than the ones you possess on your face?"

In a way Daniel was grateful to the man, even though he was obviously too observant for Daniel's own good. He barely knew the man but it was apparent that he had a kind heart. Though he had focused primarily in helping Jacob and Selmac, he had tended to everyone else as well. Daniel had seen him helping Jack with his leg both in the cell and on the ship. And he knew that he had been very concerned for Samantha and had made sure she was alright, too.

He was probably checking on him just in case he needed his help with anything. Still, Daniel knew that, despite Martouf's good intentions, if he kept poking around Jack would finally notice his friend acting funny and then the whole thing would be out.

It was not like his injuries were that severe anyway. He just didn't want them to pity him and try to help with something that only Janet and time could heal. There was really nothing any of them could do. And besides, it wasn't too painful at this point, Daniel could handle it. He hoped.

He gave Martouf one of the smiles he knew went a long way in reassuring anybody, even if that person didn't know him very well. "I'm fine, Martouf, just tired."

"Yes," the Tok'ra said a bit absent-mindedly, "it has been an exhausting couple of days."

_Yes it has,_ Daniel thought. He gazed at Martouf and wondered if anyone had inquired about his health. The man had gone around to make sure everyone was fine, and yet no one seemed to be doing the same for him.

"And how are you? No injuries?"

Martouf glanced down at him sharply, as if being brought out of some deep thought, and gazed curiously at him once again. "I am well, Doctor Jackson. You need not be concerned. We are all tired, but it is nothing that rest will not heal."

Daniel was glad that he was unharmed. He once again laid his head back against the black chest and closed his eyes, hoping for sleep. But, unfortunately, he wasn't given that chance.

"Hey Daniel," Jack said, "You never told us. How did you get the communicator anyway?"

Daniel thought about it, maybe this was his chance to excuse any and all injuries Janet may find on him. Simply say that it had been necessary. "I punched a Jaffa," he said. Everyone in the room looked at him as if he was stupid. Jaffa were ridiculously strong and tough.

"You punched a Jaffa, what? Had nothing better to do?" Jack asked incredulously.

"No, Jack, I punched him so that he would hit me. _That_ is how I managed to get the communicator. I crashed into a table and grabbed it. No one even noticed," Daniel finished. Everyone stared at him with varying stages of disbelief and shock. Martouf looked especially stunned.

"So let me get this straight," Jack said after a moment. "You did something stupid in order to do something smart? You set yourself up for a beating so that we might escape?"

Daniel nodded. He didn't tell Jack that it had only really been one punch to the face that that little stunt had earned. Allowing him to think that it had been worse would provide him with a scapegoat later.

Suddenly the pain in his entire body surged horribly again, except this time it was getting worse. He quickly got up, knowing exactly what was going to happen, and left the room, mumbling something about keeping Teal'C company.

He just barely managed to keep himself from stumbling noticeably into a small room in a corner of the ship. It was a storage room or something. He hit the button to close the door and then sank to the ground against the wall. The pain was building. Daniel pulled his knees up and put his arms around them.

He could feel the electric surge build up inside of him. It was like a round of hiccups or a slowly coming sneeze. He knew it was coming. The pain was so intense at this point that he felt like screaming, but he didn't.

Then his muscles began to twitch one by one. Abruptly his whole body convulsed in cramps and spasms. He couldn't seem to control his own muscles. The agony was unbearable. This was worse, worse than the original torture, this was pain beyond imagining.

Inwardly Daniel screamed, but in reality he clamped his mouth shut, he didn't need his friends to see this.

It was like getting hit with a bolt of lightning, or someone had poured liquid fire into his veins. It was more pain than he had ever felt in his life. His head felt like it was going to explode with the pain flowing into it. Daniel knew that if continued much longer he would pass out, or die.

Finally, Daniel could feel the violent convulsions slow and the pain begin to ease. But the relief came at an agonizing crawl. It felt like it took forever for the pain to return to a just bearable ache and his head settle down a little.

Daniel went limp as relatively full use of his own body was returned to him. He leaned heavily against the cold wall, panting. The torment still lingered in his system, but it was mostly dormant now. He closed his eyes in order to block out the way-too-bright lights on the ship.

His hair was drenched in sweat and clung to his head and his chest and back felt soaked with it. He was almost completely covered in his own sweat and everything felt achy and exhausted. Daniel didn't understand why it would hurt more now than it had before. In fact, it had hurt a lot more. He wasn't sure if he could survive another attack like that or whatever the hell that thing was.

Daniel wasn't sure that he had the energy to stand up, let alone walk out of here as if nothing had happened. Besides, he didn't think that his sweat covered state would go unnoticed. And aside from all of that his torso felt quite unwilling to move after all that it had just suffered. It had hurt badly enough before to just move an inch, but now his already abused chest and stomach refused to move without giving him excruciating pain.

Daniel was tired, far too tired to care about much of anything other than to lie down. He let himself fall sideways and he crumpled up on the floor in a fetal position. As the exhaustion overcame him, his still-quite-affected-by-the-drug mind supplied him with a faint memory.

It was of when he was a boy and he had scraped his knee. It had hurt so badly that he had cried as his mother had patched it up. After it was all over he apologized to his mother for being so weak and pathetic. His mother had told him that he never needed to hide his pain, that it wasn't a sign of weakness, but rather of acceptance. She had told him that to feel pain was to be human, and that denying that he ever felt pain would be denying his humanity.

As the hallucination ended, he felt like his mother had been wrong. He hadn't felt human since they died, not once. Not until he had fallen in love with Sha're, that is. Then he had felt more human than he had ever known was possible.

But all too soon it had ended and Sha're had been taken from him. Since that day he had been feeling less and less like a human being and more like some sort of creature. Some kind of hybrid.

Daniel had always known that he didn't quite belong on earth, but on his missions with SG1 he felt himself changing into something. When Sha're had died he finally knew what that something was, he hadn't known before. He was becoming a weapon, a weapon against anything that stood in his way.

Showing weakness or pain in front of his enemies would only hurt him more. And showing it among his friends would hurt them. He was a weapon, but that didn't mean that he should destroy his friends along with those who had taken his wife from him. That thought had kept him from screaming during this recent attack, and if it happened again it would continue to keep them in the dark.

He lay on the uncomfortable, freezing floor and shivered. He was cold. That was the last thought that entered his mind before he drifted off into a much-needed sleep.

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><p><strong>Okay, yeah, there's the first chapter. I hope everyone seems in-character to all of you. This is my first SG1 fic. Any guesses as to what is causing Daniel's pain? Hope you all like, I probably won't update very often because I've got two other stories I'm desperate to finish. Please review otherwise I might not update at all. <strong>


	2. Just Fine

**I am sorry from the very bottom of my heart for how long this chapter has taken. But I have good reasons. I've been very busy and I was sick for a week and I finally managed to finish my other stories, then I had to catch up on the school I missed while I was sick, and then my creativity decided to leave me for fives days. So, yesterday was the first time I got to really write in a while. Anyway, I sincerely hope that it will never take that long again for an update. I plan on updating once a week or so, but I know I won't be able to stick to that all the time since life happens. But I do not plan on ever taking this long for an update for any of my stories EVAH again. So, if you have stuck with it this long then you may go on to read. (:**

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><p>Daniel woke up with a start. He knew that he'd been having some sort of drug-induced dream, but he couldn't remember what it was. He was still lying on the cold floor of the storage room he was in. His chest was aching profusely from the position he'd been in for so long, he was freezing, and his whole body twinged with pain. He now was positive that the torment from earlier was going to happen again. He could still feel the unnatural current settling in his muscles and bones.<p>

He wasn't sure how long he had been sleeping for; he only knew that his body was better rested. He was still exhausted, but was no longer the dead-weight he had been after the attacking convulsions.

He rolled up into a sitting position and heaved a sigh. They were all probably wondering what had happened to him. He knew that he should make an appearance now that he looked remotely healthy again. But before he did that he was curious about something he hadn't had a chance to look at before now.

Slowly Daniel lifted up his shirt to the top of his chest and took stock of the damage. He was surprised at the extent of it. Deep black and blue bruises seemed to cover every inch of his chest and abdomen. Around his ribs they were particularly dark. A few red patches here and there marked where the skin had been broken.

If Daniel didn't know any better he'd say that he had several broken ribs. But he didn't; he'd felt that awful sensation before and this wasn't it. His breathing wasn't as affected as it should be if they were broken, and he didn't remember hearing any cracks or feeling any unbearable spikes of pain as those men beat the crap out of him.

He pulled his shirt down once more. No, he didn't have any broken ribs, but he didn't doubt that they were on the verge. He'd have to be careful not to fall on them wrongly or something.

Tiredly he looked up at the door. He knew he friends were probably really worried by now. Jack was most likely having a fit, unless, of course, he too was sleeping like Daniel had been. Slowly and quite painfully, though, nothing he couldn't handle, he stood up and stretched slightly. He was careful not to stretch too much and aggravate his heavily bruised middle.

He walked over to the door and before opening it he inhaled heavily in preparation.

As he walked out he saw Teal'C, who looked like he had just been relieved by that Tok'ra from flying the ship, noticing him and heading his way. Daniel kept walking to the ring-room were he knew almost everyone still was, but not necessarily away from the Jaffa.

When he was just at the doorway Teal'C caught up with him. "Daniel Jackson, are you well?" the big man asked.

"Yeah, Teal'C, I'm fine." He really wished people would stop asking him that.

Martouf seemed to have noticed him and left Jacob's side. Daniel was aware once more that practically everyone in the ship was now staring at him. _Goody._

"Are you sure, Doctor Jackson, you have been gone for several hours?" Martouf said.

Daniel saw that Jack was staring at him with a concerned and angry look. He guessed the angry part was because he suspected that something was wrong with him. He walked to the middle of the room so that he could be sure that everyone could hear him. "Yeah, I just got really claustrophobic for a while. I went into a storage room to get some space. And then I fell asleep. I, ah, I guess I was really tired." Daniel gave one of those slightly sheepish smiles that would help everyone to believe that he was fine.

Jack seemed to relax a little bit as he believed the partial truth. And though Teal'C and Martouf seemed to believe, their body language said that they didn't. Both gave him a searching look as if trying to figure out something.

Eventually both seemed satisfied with what he had said and moved away, Teal'C to Jack and Martouf to Jacob. He went to sit with Jack as well.

"How is your knee, O'Neill?" Teal'C asked.

The colonel grimace as he was reminded of his pain. "Well, it feels like a Jaffa went all trigger-happy on it."

Daniel wanted to give Jack some Morphine but wasn't sure if it would have some nasty affects when combined with the drug that was still in his system. It was an alien drug; after all, it could very well kill him when mixed.

He looked down at his burnt knee and another vision swam through his mind. It was of him exiting the Stargate with a damaged shoulder. What had really happened was that he had touched the mirror and had gone back to his own world. But in the hallucination the Jaffa followed him and killed him. It was a distorted memory.

As he shook his head to get rid of it Jack noticed and asked, "What's wrong?"

He put his hand to his head. "You know that drug that they gave us? Are you still hallucinating? 'Cause I am."

"Yeah," Jack said, "Those damned dreams have kept me awake. I swear that sleeping would do me more harm than good at this point. Why do you think I'm still awake?"

"I don't know, I guessed that you were just being stubborn," Daniel replied.

"I wish," Jack said, "But I suppose…at least we gave that snake-head a hard time, didn't we? I mean, none of us gave up anything even with that drug." Jack smiled at that.

"To which drug are you referring, O'Neill?" Teal'C asked.

"It's called the Blood of Sokar, Teal'C, it's supposed to cause hallucinations," Daniel supplied since he knew that Jack would probably botch the name. Daniel stiffened slightly as he felt the familiar ache again. He wondered how long he had this time before the next attack.

"I have heard of it…and of its potency."

"Yeah," Jack snorted, "Potent is one word for it."

Teal'C seemed to give the other members of his team a searching glance. "Are you sure you did not divulge anything? It is said to be hard to resist. It plays on one's memories and uses them against him, creating a scenario that makes him wish to say everything he knows." The Jaffa seemed genuinely puzzled, like he couldn't believe that they had resisted.

"Well," Daniel said slowly and carefully, thinking it through, "I don't know about everyone else, but for me I knew it wasn't real because it didn't feel real. Jack was in it and was trying to get me to say where…Amaunet hid the Harsesis, and I knew it wasn't Jack because he acted nothing like him." Daniel looked at Jack. "I know you, when you want to know something you're far less subtle than the man in my hallucination was." Daniel smiled.

"That's it!" Sam said who obviously had been listening in. She sat down next Daniel and Teal'C. Gesturing a bunch with her hands as she normally did, she continued. "That must be why none of us said anything. We knew it wasn't real. Think about it; the drug dug up powerful memories to use against us, but because those memories were so powerful we noticed the discrepancies."

"What?" Jack asked in his usual way.

"Sir, I was forced to remember a scene in my life with my dad. It was a memory that easily could have been used against me, but because the memory hurt so much I immediately knew when something was wrong. The drug chose memories that were important enough in our lives that we knew every second of it. That's why none of us talked, because we all knew that it wasn't real. For Daniel, it probably obvious because he knows you so well, he knew what you would and _wouldn't_ do."

Sam smiled the smile that she always had whenever she figured something out.

"Yes!" Martouf said, also coming over. "I knew that Jolinar was dead so I knew they couldn't be threatening her."

Sam turned to Jack. "What about you, sir? What was in your hallucination?" she asked.

He shifted slightly, wincing as the movement pulled on his hurt leg. "I…I don't really remember it." He looked away.

While Daniel had been interested, as always, in Sam's revelations, he knew he had to change the subject now. "Sam, how is your dad doing?" He looked over to where Jacob was asleep.

"Martouf says that he's going to be fine until we can stop off and get him to the rest of the Tok'ra. From there they can take care of him. I think that just getting out of that place alone has done wonders for him."

"For us all," Daniel murmured absent-mindedly. He turned his gaze to Teal'C, ignoring how the movement made his ribs howl in protest. His was use to hiding his pain both from the world and himself. "Teal'C, how long 'til we get there?"

"Around nineteen hours, Daniel Jackson."

Daniel grinned at Jack. "It looks like you may have to get some sleep after all."

"Don't count on it," the older man muttered.

Daniel felt a pang of sadness for him. He knew what it was that he had seen and he didn't envy him. In all honesty Daniel didn't think that he would want to sleep either if it weren't for the amount of pain he was in and the looming doom of another attack. Right now, sleep sounded really good, even though he had just woken up.

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><p>The four friends sat in silence for a while, one or two of them occasionally carrying on a short conversation with the other. Martouf had long since returned to Jacob's side and didn't seem willing to leave him again. Despite Jack's protests he fell asleep around the same time that Sam did. Daniel wasn't sure how it had happened, but at some silent signal everyone had gotten ready for bed. The lights had been turned low so that you could see where you were going should you need to get up, but not enough to interfere with a person's sleep. Sam and Jack had gotten out their blankets and had settled down, and even Martouf and Teal'C made themselves comfortable. All at once there was quiet and calm.<p>

As Daniel looked over at his friends—the people who now mattered most to him—he hoped that they would all sleep well and would have good dreams. Especially Jack. He remembered how, a few hours ago, when he had gone with Sam to check on her dad she had asked him something.

"_It's strange, isn't it, that the colonel avoided my question earlier. He's normally evasive about things, but not this much. Why do you think that is?"_

_Daniel was a bit surprised that her brilliant mind hadn't figured it out. "Sam," Daniel said slowly, trying to make sure that she understood, "we all saw our worst nightmares. Martouf saw the woman he loved nearly get killed, you saw something painful with your father, and the subject of Sha're is hardly an easy one for me. We saw things that reminded us of the worst moments in our lives, what do you think Jack saw?"_

_Daniel watched as Sam's face began to twist in horror as she came to the conclusion. _

"_His son?"_

_Daniel nodded. "Now I can't be sure, but when you asked him that I saw something I hadn't seen in a while. I've known Jack longer than you, Sam, and on that first mission to Abydos he…well, he wasn't the same man we know now. For a moment after you asked him that question I saw a glimpse of the old Colonel O'Neill. He lost both his son and his wife; we are all that he has left." Daniel hated that this was true._

"_In a way," Samantha replied thoughtfully, "it's the same for all of us. We're all at the SGC because we have nowhere better to be. We've all lost people and the things we love. Perhaps we're all just trouble magnets. Have you ever thought of that, that maybe that when all of us come together our presence just attracts danger?"_

Daniel didn't answer that. He knew what he believed. All his life he had attracted trouble and misfortune. He didn't believe in curses but maybe, just maybe he was cursed. But as usual he would just push those thoughts aside and focus on more positive things since being depressed never helped anybody. But lately, especially since being tortured and drugged, it had been a bit harder to keep a positive outlook on things. He wasn't sure if it was just the unnerving drug in his system, or the fact that he could feel another attack right around the corner, but he wasn't feeling particularly optimistic.

He turned his gaze towards Teal'C, who was in a state of deep Kel'no'reem. Everything around him was peaceful and quiet. His friends were going to be fine and all he had to do was wait out the electric torment in his system.

Eventually, due to the low thrum of the ship and the subtle calmness that washed over him at seeing his friends safe and so peaceful-looking, Daniel fell asleep a few hours after his teammates. But unfortunately his rest didn't last long. He woke up about a half-an-hour later and immediately knew that it was time. It was approximately six hours since the last attack.

Daniel stumbled to his feet, once again ignoring the screams of agony his greatly damaged torso was giving him, and rushed back over to the same room as last time. There he sat down in the dark and quiet and resolved yet again not to scream or make a sound. He waited. Once again he could feel it creeping up on him, the energy in his muscles making them contract and expand and overall twitch. From what Daniel could guess the cause for this unbearable pain was the shocking device he had been tortured with since it was the only thing that made sense. But knowing the cause of it this time didn't help in the least.

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><p>Daniel woke up a little before the others, lying in a fetal position again and still slightly damp from his own sweat. The attack had hurt even worse this time, but he hadn't screamed or even grunted. He had fallen asleep immediately afterwards just like last time. He went back to join with the others to pretend that he had been there all night.<p>

As Daniel waited to either fall asleep again or for his friends to wake up he thought about the attacks and realized that he didn't know if he could even hold on to his sanity for much longer. The pain was so intense and after only two convulsing fits of agony he already felt like his body couldn't take anymore. And it's not like with all that jerking and spazzing his ribs were thanking him, either. Daniel hadn't known that such pain existed and was beginning to greatly fear the next attacks, which he knew would come. In the past he had always been able to control or deny his pain, but this wasn't something that you could ignore or shrug off. This was the kind of pain that drove people insane and left no room in his mind for anything but the torturing agony.

But as always with his pain, Daniel pushed back the fear and doubt and focused that soon they would be back home. Daniel feared this pain more than he had ever feared pain before, but he wouldn't let that stop him. Not until it killed him anyway.

Daniel saw Jack wake up and roll over on his mat to look at him with bleary and sleepy eyes. "Hey," the groggy man said, "how's it going?"

"Fine," Daniel replied, "Just fine."

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><p><strong>So, I hope it was worth the VERY long wait. I hope you all enjoyed it. I must say thank you, though, because after one chapter I've already got 13 reviews, that's pretty good for a first chapter. You guys are already amazing. It is because of people like you that I write. I hope that none of you found this chapter boring or anything, I really tried to keep it in character. But even if you hated it please take time to tell me and review. If you think that there is something that I can do to improve this story so far then don't hesitate to tell me. Also, I have a lot more of this story planned out and there is going to be some definite torture, so if you don't like that then you really shouldn't be reading. I'll try not to make it too graphic, though. <strong>

**P.S Originally I had it that Daniel was shot in the leg once with a staff weapon, but I went back and checked it and it turns out that in the episode I was thinking of Daniel was shot in the arm and not the leg. I have fixed this mistake. **


	3. We Don't Like Apophis

**Because all of you lovely people reviewed I managed to write this little chappy for you. Now, you should know that I'm going to be a bit busy after this and I am going on a short vacation for a few days around Thanksgiving, so the next update may be a bit late. However, I have found that I can write pretty quickly if I am given motivation to do so. *hint, hint* **

**Warnings: This chapter contains torture, violence, some negative emotions from our main character, (though it is completely justified,) and all around bad people doing bad things. But I believe it is still T, so no worries. If you don't like this kind of stuff you may not want to read the rest of this story, though, I hope you do read it. **

**On to the chapter.**

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><p><em>Apophis struck him hard on the face, knocking Daniel to the ground. The blow stung horribly.<em>

"_You dare to defy your god?" the Goa'uld yelled. _

_Slowly righting himself and looking up to glare at the man he hated so much, Daniel said in his most mocking tone, "Last time I check you weren't my god, you weren't anybody's god, in fact. If I'm not mistaken you are stuck on this planet with the rest of us."_

_Instead of responding in anger as Daniel had expected, Apophis merely chuckled. "Like you the others resisted the drug, and since my time is precious I let them go. But you have defied me for far too long. I shall take pleasure in seeing your insolent spirit break." He smiled again and his eyes glowed. "Kree!" he said as he gestured to his Jaffa._

_Daniel, for his part, did not particularly like what he heard, but he wasn't going to show his fear, which wasn't hard since his hatred overwhelmed every other feeling. The Jaffa disappeared out of his line of sight for a moment but then reappeared carrying a strange device the archeologist had never seen before. It was a fairly thick metal rod that had three cruel-looking short prongs on the end. It reminded Daniel faintly of a small pitchfork. _

_A sadistic gleam appeared in Apophis' eyes as he said, "Do you know what this is, Daniel Jackson?"_

_With no emotion in his voice Daniel answered, "It looks like a metal rod to me."_

"_It is far more than that. This device is capable of causing great pain to its victims. It was created with the sole purpose of torturing Goa'uld who have stepped out of line. I cannot imagine the torment it could inflict on a human, but now seems the perfect time to find out." The false god nodded to the Jaffa._

_Daniel was still on his knees in front of Apophis, but he straightened his back and showed no fear in his countenance. The Jaffa moved behind him, but Daniel refused to turn and look at the man. He was still staring coldly into Apophis' cruel eyes. He saw the Goa'uld nod once more and then the world seemed to cave in._

_Searing pain unlike anything he had felt before blossomed from the base of his neck and spread from there to all over his body. He felt like he was being scorched and burned from the inside out. The agony seemed to be everywhere and he wished desperately for it to stop or for him to pass into unconsciousness. Anything to be spared from the pain. Daniel hadn't known that pain like that existed and _that_ was saying something considering his past. Yet the only thing that was stronger than the liquid torment raging through his entire body was his intense and all-consuming hatred for the man in front of him._

_Apophis had stolen his wife and taken the only true happiness he had ever known from him. As strong as Daniel's love for his wife had been, that was how strong his loathing for Apophis was. And so because of this all throughout the pain Daniel was aware that though he grunted and moaned he did not scream or cry out. He wouldn't give Apophis the satisfaction. _

_Finally the pain let up as the device was removed from his skin. Daniel groaned and hung his head—all of a sudden he was exhausted. But he only showed the weakness for a moment before lifting up his throbbing head to glare at Apophis with the scariest glare he could manage. He could hear his heartbeat pounding in his head and his whole body ached like he had been crushed by huge stones. But the pain was slowly clearing up. _

"_Now," Apophis said, "tell me where the child is. Where did Amaunet hide him?"_

"_I have no idea," Daniel replied, "maybe you should ask her yourself. Oh! That's right; she's dead. Maybe you should go to hell and join her."_

_Apophis' features twisted in rage and he extended his hand and activated the ribbon device, spearing Daniel's head with a beam of excruciating light. _

_The horrible pain pierced Daniel's mind and thoughts with a new pain that was quite unlike anything one could find on earth. This device was often used to extract information because it gave one the feeling of having their mind split apart. But Daniel had had this used on him many times before and found that he was far more tolerant and immune to it than he first had been. Still, he was thankful when Apophis shut it off._

_"Well, it seems that you are not afraid of pain. Yet. I will change that."_

_It took Daniel by surprise this time since he didn't see Apophis give the signal to his Jaffa, but the big man applied the torturing metal stick hard against his flesh. He cried out as the familiar agony poured through him and the unbearable torment gripped him. This time, however, it was worse. Before the pain had been equally distributed everywhere, but now there was a horrible pressure building up inside his head. He didn't know if it had anything to do with the effects of the ribbon device, but this pain felt a thousand times worse. _

_It was like some unfathomable force was both crushing his head from the outside and from the inside. Two forces pushing against each other. _

_The fire also found his other places of weakness. Once when he was a boy Daniel had broken his ankle, though it had mended fully that break still left behind weakness. It and others places on his body that was less than perfect now had the agony filling them. The pain found all the breaks and tears and the tiniest frailty and exploited it to cause him further torment. _

_Eventually he was released from the pain and Apophis asked, "Tell me; what is the code for the iris on your earth gate?"_

"_1-800 bite me," Daniel replied, which only earned him another bout with the shocking device. _

_When it was let up again Daniel mused at how he seemed to be channeling Jack more and more these days. Perhaps Jack was starting to be a bad influence on him, but Daniel didn't think so. He was starting to feel really tired, but he refused to let Apophis know how much the torture device was affecting him._

"_Well?" Apophis said, "Are you finally ready to bow to your god and give him the information he desires?"_

_Daniel was having trouble believing the idiocy of the man standing before him. He was a long way from doing anything of the sort, especially to a Goa'uld like Apophis. "You're no god. If you were then you wouldn't have that ugly scar marring your face. You wouldn't be on a planet that many know as hell. And if you were an all-powerful god then you wouldn't need me to tell you anything, you'd already know. No! You are just a power-hungry, slimy parasite that is so low on the evolutional chain that you have to live in someone else to survive! And you are even more of an idiot than I ever thought if you believe that I would EVER tell you anything!" _

_Daniel was so caught up in what he had said and the rage that was burning through him that he never even saw the quick and sharp blow to his stomach that had him doubling over in pain. But before he could even catch his breath he was given a hard kick to his back that sent his falling to the ground and on to his side. And just like that all the Jaffa in the room descended on him, kicking and punching anything in sight. The blows were strong and fast and left him breathless with every one. The strong men focused on his entire torso, attacking his ribs, his abdomen, and anything else they could reach. Daniel struggled to move out of the range of the agonizing punches and kicks, but the Jaffa wouldn't even let up for a second. Daniel found that he couldn't breathe and that his lungs felt like they were going to explode in burning pain. It wasn't long before he just curled up in a ball to protect himself from the vicious and excruciating onslaught. _

_It might have never ended if it weren't for the sudden sound of a strange beeping that came from a device on the wall next to Apophis. Abruptly the Jaffa let up as the sound of a Goa'uld voice issued from it. _

"_Hear me, Binar. Why do you defy your lord Sokar?" came the voice. Immediately everyone in the room paid attention, even Daniel listened as he lay on his back gasping for air in case something important was said._

_As Apophis talked to the Goa'uld Daniel assumed was Sokar he tried to recover from the extensive beating he had just been given. Though the pain blossomed and throbbed all over his chest he was almost positive that nothing was broken. He had felt that kind of pain before and this wasn't it. If nothing else he would have had a much harder time breathing. _

_He gasped for breath as his lungs burned from being deprived of air for so long. Though he was quite happy that nothing was broken, Daniel knew that Jaffa were incredibly strong and that they would hardly have to try to break something. So unless that was their way of showing kindness, Apophis must've told them not to hurt him too badly, or else they just wanted to draw out the pain and torment as long as possible. Daniel was just glad that he wouldn't have to worry about a broken rib piercing one of his lungs. _

_The pain began to dull somewhat and he was able to think more clearly now and pay more attention to what was being said. Eventually the communication cut out and Apophis turned back towards his men and a recovering Daniel. _

"_Take him away," he said, gesturing sharply. _

_As a Jaffa began roughly pulling him up, Daniel caught sight of the communicator that had been taken from him. It was their only means of contacting Teal'C and maybe getting out of here. He came to the decision of what he needed to do very quickly. As he was about to get up he punched the Jaffa right in front of him in the gut. He was still weak from the torture, but on an ordinary person it still would have hurt and winded a little bit. But it only served to make the Jaffa mad as he had intended. _

_The big man drew his fist back and punched Daniel, sending him flying into the table. On the way down Daniel managed to swipe the communicator and hide it in his palm. The blow hurt but it was more than worth it. _

_The Jaffa picked him up and escorted him back to the cell that contained his friends. _

_Daniel had to work to hide his joy at getting this hope, this chance at getting out of this horrid place. Right now all that he wanted was to go home to a comfy bed, a cold shower, and enough Janet Fraiser prescribed painkillers to knock him out for twelve hours. _

_The pain in his torso still was pretty intense, but right now he knew that didn't matter. They had to get out of this place and not just for themselves. Jacob Carter was doing quite badly and needed to get medical help soon. So Daniel worked on hiding and ignoring his pain, though, he was bit worried about the electrical current he could feel settling in his muscles and bones. He had heard that people who got electrocuted or were tortured with shocks that the energy remained inside them for days afterward and would occasionally cause twinges of pain and muscle twitches. But this was an alien torture device, he had no idea what the long-term effects would be. _

_But Daniel pushed those frightening thoughts away as he was roughly pushed into his cell. Daniel ached all over and he really did feel like crap, but all his friends saw was that he was dazed and a bit confused and was carrying the key to their escape._

* * *

><p>"Daniel Jackson! Daniel Jackson! You must wake up! We have arrived."<p>

Daniel jerked awake from his vivid dream and for a moment had no idea where he was. He looked up at Teal'C blearily and asked, "Arrived? Arrived where?"

"Daniel Jackson," said Teal'C, "we are going home."

* * *

><p><strong>So there you have it. In case anyone is wondering that was sort of a flashback of what happened to him, so that should have answered a lot of your questions. I realize that that whole scene was slightly AU from the original episode, but I didn't have anywhere else I could fit it. For the most part, though, I believe this story is going to stay true to the show. Congrats to anyone who guessed correctly and please message me or something if you did 'cause I am really curious if anyone guessed what was going to happen. I still haven't answered all of the questions yet, but I am planning to. If anyone is confused about something then message me. <strong>

**I'm sorry if this was too graphic for anyone, but this is basically what the story is about. You should all know, though, that Daniel is going to be in pain for most of this story and I'm not going to be nice to him. There's more whump coming. Personally I like whump but not without bromance which I know I really haven't put in yet. But it's hard to do that when no one but Daniel knows what happened. But the bromance will be in here I promise. So, see you soon.**


	4. Unwell

I really have no excuse for how long this has taken me, other than the fact that I had very little motivation to write. I'm sorry and I hope it won't happen again, but there's no guarantee. I'm really sorry.

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><p><em>Previously:<em>

_"Daniel Jackson! Daniel Jackson! You must wake up! We have arrived."_

_Daniel jerked awake from his vivid dream and for a moment had no idea where he was. He looked up at Teal'C blearily and asked, "Arrived? Arrived where?"_

_"Daniel Jackson," said Teal'C, "we are going home."_

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><p>Daniel gazed at his watch. "But…but we can't be; the ship can't have arrived already."<p>

Daniel was really confused. He remembered sneaking away when no one was looking as he felt another attack come on. What worried him about that was that the attack had come at a very unpredictable time and much sooner than it was supposed to. The fit had been horrible as usual, though, it had seemed more painful than normal, but it was what had happened afterwards that scared Daniel the most.

The attack had left him utterly exhausted just like the other two times and he hadn't even had the energy to move, let alone stay awake for five minutes. But when he had fallen asleep the drug in his system had induced a terrible dream. It was already bad enough that every time he moved he felt like crying with the searing pain that came from his heavily bruised torso. It was bad enough that he was having these attacks that he could slowly feel breaking his mind. And it was bad enough that he had been drugged with something that made him feel feverish and caused nightmares every time he closed his eyes, but now this drug had gone and done the last thing that he had wanted. It had given him a perfectly reconstructed memory of being tortured.

Unlike the other memories, it hadn't been twisted or changed in anyway. But the drug had made it so vivid that Daniel had felt like he was actually there. It had been hard to go through the torture once, going through it again after everything that had happened felt like more than Daniel could handle. It had felt like he was actually there and the pain had felt so real.

But he was just glad now that Teal'C had woken him up.

"Daniel Jackson, do you not recall that I estimated nineteen hours until we arrived back at the SGC? We are landing the ship on the nearest safe and uninhabited planet with a stargate and from there the Tok'ra will take Jacob Carter to their planet and tend to him there and come back for their ship later. We will journey through the stargate to the SGC. This method is much faster than going all the way by ship and then having to return it to the Tok'ra," Teal'c explained.

Daniel vaguely remembered Teal'C saying something about nineteen hours, but only now did he realize that it had taken them several days to get to Netu, so it should have taken just as long to return home. But Daniel supposed that it made sense to save time and go by stargate.

He looked up at Teal'C finally understanding and coming out of the daze his nightmare had induced. Teal'C looked very concerned—which was saying something because even when he _was_ worried he hardly showed it—but Daniel thought it was deserved, he probably looked like hell. Then again, they all did after practically just being there.

"And now we're on…on the planet?" he asked, his brain still a bit sluggish.

"Yes, we are leaving the ship to go through the Stargate," Teal'C answered. In an uncharacteristic moment of consideration he held out his hand to Daniel and, after a brief second where his pain-filled mind tried to comprehend the gesture, he accepted it. Teal'C pulled him to his feet and he had to try hard to keep himself from wincing or showing the pain his ribs were giving him some other way. He was a little unsteady on his feet and his brain was still foggy and the nightmare was still fresh to the point that he felt sick from it. But he had to hide it before someone noticed.

Daniel tried to shake it off and followed Teal'C to the ring-room where everyone was gathering their things into the circle on the floor that marked where the rings would be. Jack was leaning against one of the black chests in the room so that he wouldn't have to put any weight on his bad leg and when he spotted Daniel he called out to him.

"Hey! You ready to go home?" he asked.

As Daniel thought over everything that had happened in the past few days—all the pain he had gone through, all the fear and hate and torture—he came to one definite conclusion. "Yes," he said, "yes I am."

* * *

><p>Daniel felt some joy and relief enter his heart as he watched the swirling blue and silver event horizon burst into life when the seventh chevron activated. It was a familiar sight that held a lot of mixed emotions and memories for him. There was the memory of when he had first seen it all those years ago—he had been in awe, totally enraptured by the fantastic and alien sight—and memories of its transportation providing escape from some danger, memories of despair when it didn't work the way it was supposed to, and many, many more. But the two most common emotions he felt when looking into that void was either excitement of something new or relief after a long day and of finally being done. So when he saw it now those were the two biggest emotions he felt, and they were welcome.<p>

In fact, as a whole he was a bit happier since waking up from this most recent nightmare because things seemed to be going slightly right.

Finally allowing himself to relax some, Daniel took a deep breath and strode forward into the void.

And as the four members of SG1 stepped through the event horizon and into the SGC, Daniel felt the full weight of everything that his body and mind had had to endure and, just like that, his legs buckled underneath him and he knew no more.

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><p>"Whoa!" Sam exclaimed as Daniel collapsed and she had to lunge quickly to catch him. As it was, she just barely managed to keep his head from hitting the harsh metal grating of the stargate ramp.<p>

"Get a medical team down there now!" General Hammond ordered sharply to someone next to him and then spoke over the departure room speakers. "SG1, what happened?"

"I don't know, sir," Sam answered without looking up since she was still preoccupied with Daniel. Sam was really the only one qualified at the moment to answer because Jack was still straining to check on Daniel and Teal'C was busy attempting to keep him from injuring his leg any further. "Daniel was fine on the cargo ship," she continued, "I can't think of anything that could be wrong with him."

Just then a medical team arrived and both Daniel and Jack were loaded onto gurneys, despite Jack's protests, and were swiftly carted off to the infirmary with the rest of SG1 following closely behind.

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><p>Two hours later Daniel woke up feeling far more comfortable than he could remember being in several long and exhausting days. He was clean, cool, and his head was propped up on a couple of hospital pillows. In fact, his only discomfort was a dry throat and a few stiff limbs.<p>

Daniel looked around him. He was clearly in the SGC infirmary, but he didn't remember how he had gotten here. The last thing he _did_ remember was stepping through the stargate and arriving in the place that was now his home. Obviously, he must have passed out and naturally been brought here. But as Daniel remembered the passing out and what had caused it an all too familiar sensation crept back into his body. Slowly, the stabbing, throbbing, and burning pain returned to his tired body and Daniel sighed. For a few blessed moments he had been without pain, but apparently it had been too much to hope that it would last forever.

Daniel shifted uncomfortably. The pain was gradually increasing and he found himself wishing that he could slip back into the sweet unconsciousness that had been his refuge on many occasions.

Suddenly Daniel heard someone coming. Apparently a combination of his waking up and the pain must have raised his heart rate just enough to alert someone. Just moments before whoever it was appeared around the corner, Daniel felt one of his legs twitch violently and he struggled to regain control of the uncooperative and suffering muscle.

"So, how are you feeling, Doctor Jackson?" Janet Fraiser asked as she came into view holding a clipboard in one hand.

Daniel slowly sat up, which was far more difficult than it should've been, and answered. "Tired, uh, a little groggy, and more than ready to go home." He gave her a pleading look, even though he knew it wasn't going to work. She had that look in her eyes, the look that he had been dreading and hoping to avoid.

"Come now, Daniel," Janet said, shaking her head, "you know as well as I do that you shouldn't be going anywhere for a little while. You have heavy bruising covering your entire torso and sprinkled over the rest of you, as well. Your ribs are in bad shape and really shouldn't be moved more than necessary right now." She drew a little closer in a friendly way; Janet always did have a comforting presence. "Do you want to tell me how you got all those bruises, Daniel?"

Daniel's mind flashed back to the severe beating he had taken and he winced slightly, though part of that was from the pain his muscles were currently undergoing. "You don't want to know," he replied.

"Maybe," she said and some of the professionalism returned as she realized that he wasn't in a mood to talk right now. "But you're going to have to tell General Hammond what happened anyway, no doubt I hear about it soon. Besides, I think I can guess."

Daniel wouldn't be surprised if she could. Janet was an extremely talented Doctor and she could probably tell just by looking what had made all sorts of wounds. Most likely she had already pieced together what had happened. Daniel just hoped that she didn't know what he had been truly hiding.

The archeologist still wasn't entirely sure why he was hiding the fact that his body was being attacked and tormented by an alien energy of some sort, but somehow he didn't think that everyone finding out would do him any good. Most likely it would only cause him trouble.

"So," Janet continued as she gazed at her clipboard, "are you in any pain or is there anything you need? You're going to be here for a little while."

Daniel shook his head. "Just some water."

Janet nodded and left, only to return a few moments later with a small paper cup of water. She handed it to Daniel and he gulped it down quickly, and then promptly gave it back.

Just as Doctor Fraiser was about to leave; however, Daniel felt all of his muscles go into spasm and he knew that he had seconds, maybe a minute before he lost it.

"Uh, actually, I need to go to the bathroom," Daniel said, trying to keep the pain and panic out of his voice. He practically jumped out of the hospital bed and Janet helped him disconnect from the IV. She helped him to the bathroom, looking very concerned the whole time, and then left him alone.

As soon as Daniel firmly shut and locked the door behind him he collapsed to the floor and surrendered himself to the unbearable pain.

* * *

><p>"So, how is he?" Jack asked impatiently as Janet appeared in sight. He had wanted to know what was wrong with Daniel since the moment the archeologist had passed out in the gateroom. Unfortunately, he himself was injured and Doctor Fraiser had refused to let him go and see Daniel or even to tell him of his progress until he calmed down and his leg was taken care of. Two hours' worth of surgery, painkillers, and far too many needles for his liking poked into his body later and he was lying on a bed of his own and waiting impatiently for news about his friend.<p>

Janet sighed. "He's fine," she answered as she checked his IV.

"Come on, Doc, don't give me that crap!" Jack said angrily. Normally he liked Janet, who didn't? But when it came to his troublesome friend who was never fine when he claimed to be, Jack just didn't have the energy to be nice to anyone.

They were all trouble magnets on SG1; all the weirdest stuff happened to them. On average they visited the infirmary more than any other SG team, but for Daniel this place was like his second home. These days the geek got himself in trouble every time he stepped through the gate. Not a day went by when he wasn't possessed by something or addicted to something or hurt by someone. Jack had come to learn that with Daniel he was rarely ever 'fine'.

Janet sighed. "I'm sorry, let me rephrase. What I meant to say was that he was _going_ to be fine. He's in no danger and he's healing nicely."

_Oh._ "Uh, I'm sorry," Jack apologized. "But what _did_ cause his collapse in the first place?"

"I'd imagine that it was a combination of things," Janet said, ignoring the fact that he had snapped at her. She understood, they all were worried about Daniel on a daily basis, and none more so than Jack.

"Like what, doctor?"

Jack's head swiveled around sharply at the words and he watched General Hammond enter the infirmary. Samantha Carter was behind him, looking clean and refreshed, something Jack wished he himself could be at this moment. "Are you here to debrief, sir?" Jack asked, trying to rise from his bed, but Doctor Fraiser quickly pushed him back down again.

The general nodded. "I am. Teal'C has already briefed me on what he knows, so we can begin."

"Hey, where is the big guy, anyway?" Jack asked as both General Hammond and Sam pulled up plastic chairs and sat down. It was strange that he wasn't here, normally the Jaffa was very protective when even one member of their team was injured, let alone two.

"He's okay, Colonel, he told me that he hadn't preformed Kel'no'reem properly in several days and he said that his body was liable to sickening if he didn't do so soon. He said he will join us as soon as he is done."

"Yeah, sounds like him," Jack muttered. He turned to the general. "So what do you want to know? What hasn't Teal'C told you yet?"

"Shouldn't we wait for Daniel?" Sam asked, looking concerned.

"He's in the bathroom at the moment, we can start without him. Besides, I'm not sure he's in any state to tell us much," Doctor Fraiser answered.

"What _is_ his condition?" General Hammond asked once more.

Jack sat up further in bed and paid close attention.

"Well, like the Colonel and Samantha, he has a particularly nasty drug in his system. As far as I can tell it is some sort of a hallucinogen, and a powerful one at that."

"That's correct, sir," Sam said, "Apophis drugged us in order to get information. But don't worry; none of us gave anything away."

"I don't' doubt it," the general said with that proud tone in his voice.

"However, the levels of the drug seem to be higher than that of either Sam's or the colonel's. But I doubt it'll cause any damage other than a few ruined dreams. Aside from that," Janet continued, flipping through pages on a clipboard, "he has heavy bruising covering his torso." There were a few gasps. "In fact, it's so bad that I'm surprised all of his ribs are still intact. It's obvious that the bruises were caused deliberately by some sort of beating. To be honest I think that if it had been any worse a lot of bones would now be broken." She paused for a moment and Jack saw the professional detachment waver for a second. It was obvious that it was making her ill, too.

"As far as I can tell there's not much more than that. All three of you have burns here and there, no doubt from the heat of the planet, but it's nothing serious. He's dehydrated and needs a lot more food and rest and I'd be surprised if his stomach will be up for much more than broth for the next couple of days. He has a few odd burns on the back of his neck that seem rather painful, but again, nothing to be concerned about. At this point I'm just worried about his torso. He's not in any danger, but I can't imagine how painful it must be. Other than that, sir, I don't believe that there's anything to worry about," she finished.

Jack looked down at his hands, trying to reign in his anger. He had thought more than once that there might be something wrong with Daniel, but he had shrugged it off. He had thought that after all this time that Daniel would tell him if there was something wrong. Obviously not. Just hearing Janet talk about his injuries was enough to make him see red. Daniel was the one person who had always been there for him, the one person who seemed to properly understand him. He never expected too much, and yet never expected so little that it was condescending or insulting. Daniel always seemed to know just what to say to either make him feel better or to appeal to his more merciful side. Despite outward appearances Daniel was the person he respected on a personal level the most in the whole SGC, and that kind of respect had to be carefully earned.

But now Jack had learned that his friend had been in pain the entire journey home and had kept it to himself. To say that he was angry would be an understatement. Jack heard a noise and looked over to see Teal'C coming to stand next to his bed. He turned back to Janet. "So what caused him to pass out?" he asked, trying to say it as nicely as possible.

Janet sighed. "Probably the exhaustion and strain his body was under after the beating he went through." Jack saw Teal'C's jaw tense up at those words. "Truthfully, I'm surprised he lasted as long as he did what with all the pain."

Jack looked over at the Jaffa again and he noticed how the man's jaw tightened and his posture stiffened. Teal'C rarely ever showed any emotion, but when he did it usually concerned one of the members of SG1. Those small signs that Jack had seen told him that the Jaffa was angry that someone he cared about and had chosen to protect had been hurt. Jack just hoped that he was never on the receiving end of Teal'C's anger.

"I haven't had much of an opportunity to talk with Daniel yet, but you said that Apophis interrogated all of you? Well, I think it's safe to assume that the beating Daniel received was a part of that," Janet stated. They all read between the lines. Daniel had been tortured.

Jack felt his blood boil and out of the corner of his eye he could see Teal'C hands clenching in anger. Even the General's eyes had hardened and he asked stiffly. "Is that all?"

"I think so, sir," Janet answered and then looked back down at her clipboard. "Oh, and one other thing. We've discovered a strange energy signature inside Doctor Jackson's body. It's faint and as far as we can tell it's harmless. It's similar to the energy signature that I sometimes find in Daniel's body after being severely attacked by the hand-device the Goa'ulds always wear, but it's not the same. It's probably from being relatively near some other Goa'uld technology. I doubt it's anything to worry about, sir."

"Thank you, doctor," General Hammond said, "how soon will he recover?"

"He shouldn't have to stay in the infirmary more than one or two nights, sir, and though the bruising is bad it's not life-threatening at all if it is properly tended to. No doubt in a week or so the bruises will already have healed significantly," Janet answered.

"And how is Colonel O'Neill?" the general asked, turning his gaze to the testy soldier.

"Other than the odd bruise and burn here and there that are nothing to be worried about, and of course, the drug, he has a staff weapon blast to his leg." Doctor Fraiser gave Jack a smile. "But it is already healing nicely and if he cooperates and completes the short bout of physical therapy it should be as good as new in no time. I'm not worried, sir." She also gave a glance to the scientist and the Jaffa. "And as you may already know Sam and Teal'C are perfectly fine. Sam will need some rest and some time for the drug to circulate out of her system, but that's all."

"That's good to hear," Hammond said.

Just then they heard a door open and close and the five of them turned to see Daniel come out of the bathroom and plod over in what looked like a delirious haze to his bed. Slowly he climbed in and curled in on himself.

"Daniel!" Jack called and tried to get up, but a firm hand placed on his chest from Teal'C kept him from moving more than a few inches in any direction. Janet rushed over to the almost-apathetic archeologist.

"Daniel, are you all right?" Janet asked gently as she put a light hand on his forehead. He was burning up.

"Janet…I don't feel well," Daniel murmured. She leaned in closer to hear him better, but that had been all he was able to get out before his eyes drifted shut and his breathing began to even. He was asleep.

"Doctor?" General Hammond asked as he came up beside her.

"He's developed a fever, but it's probably only because of the strain his body has been under. Even so, I'll keep a closer watch on him," she answered.

"He doesn't look good," Samantha commented quietly as she came up beside Janet.

"No," Doctor Fraiser said, "no he doesn't."

* * *

><p>There it is. I hope that even after all this time you'll still review.<p> 


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